21st Century Schools LogoExpanding Ysgol Sant Baruc

Consultation on the proposal to provide additional school places to meet the future demand for Welsh Medium education by expanding Ysgol Sant Baruc from 210 places to 420 places from September 2021.

Introduction to the proposal

The Council proposes to expand Ysgol Sant Baruc from 210 places to 420 places from September 2021.

A new 420 place school at Barry Waterfront has been included as part of the Council’s 21st Century Schools programme. It is proposed that Ysgol Sant Baruc would move into this building by September 2021 to provide the required capacity.

The Council is consulting on expanding Ysgol Sant Baruc. Although the transferring of the school to the new building is included as part of this consultation document, this is not subject to the statutory process as the transfer would be within 1 mile.

This consultation gives you the opportunity to ask questions and make comments that will be considered when the Council’s Cabinet decides how to proceed.

Reasons for the proposal

The Council must ensure that schools serve their local communities and are reflective of demand. There is a need to meet future demand from the new housing developments in Barry, as well as the increased demand for Welsh medium education.

A new 420 place school building would accommodate the projected increase in pupil numbers from the new development.

The increased capacity would also accommodate the projected increase in parents choosing Welsh medium education.

Ysgol Sant Baruc comprises a main Victorian building and a two classroom block built in the 1980s. The school is on a very confined sloping site with no prospect of substantially increasing the site to meet 21st Century Schools standards.

The school currently uses the dining facilities at the adjacent High Street Primary School as there is no catering provision at the school.

The smaller sized classrooms are too small to accommodate the schools admission number of 30 children.

It is not possible to replace the school with a new build at its current location due to restricted outside space.

Finding out more

To learn more about the stages of the statutory consultation process, read our handy guide.

Consultation Report

The authority is grateful to everyone who took the time to consider our proposal and to those who let us know their views. All comments were considered by the Council's Cabinet on 1 April 2019.

The Consultation Reportand letter are available to download. Hard copies of the report are available on request by contacting the Learning and Skills Directorate at the Contact Details below:

Publication of Statutory Notice to expand Ysgol Sant Baruc

The Council's Cabinet have agreed to publish a statutory notice to expand Ysgol Sant Baruc.

The statutory notice and letterare available to download. Hard copies of the notice are available on request by contacting the Learning and Skills Directorate at the Contact Details below.

In accordance with section 49 of ‘the Act’, any person may object to the proposal before the end of 28 days beginning with the day on which the proposals were published, that is to say by Monday 27 May 2019.

It was noted that no statutory objections were received during the statutory notice period.

Decision

On 29 July 2019, the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Cabinet approved the proposal to expand Ysgol Sant Baruc from 210 places to 420 places from September 2021. As a result a new building for Ysgol Sant Baruc will be built on the Waterfront site with capacity for 420 pupils and the school will move in from 1 September 2021.

The Decision Letter is available to download or hard copies are available on request by contacting the Learning and Skills Directorate, see contact details below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What support is available for parents who do not speak Welsh?

The vast majority of parents who send their children to Welsh medium schools in the Vale don’t speak Welsh themselves. This is why Welsh medium schools in the Vale of Glamorgan always communicate with parents in both Welsh and English. In almost all cases homework will have an English explanation provided with it so all parents can help their children with the work. There are also a number of Welsh medium pre-school playgroups in the Vale run by the organisation Mudiad Meithrin. Adult Welsh education is also promoted across the Vale of Glamorgan with a wide range of courses available from beginners to proficiency. More information can be found from the being bilingual booklet: https://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/Documents/Working/Education%20and%20Skills/Admissions-Guide/Being-Bilingual-booklet-English.pdf

What are the advantages of Welsh medium education?

Bilingual children tend to achieve higher within the curriculum and perform better in exams. Learning a second language at a young age helps children develop an ear for languages and gives them a head start at learning a third or fourth language as they get older. In Wales speaking Welsh is a workplace skill, especially within the public and service sectors, and due to recent changes to the law more and more employers will need a bilingual workforce. Learning through another language helps children develop a greater sensitivity to other cultures and backgrounds. Speaking Welsh gives people a closer relationship with the history, heritage and traditions of Wales.

What if I live in Barry Waterfront and want to send my child to English medium education?

The Council has projected the pupil yield from the additional 900 houses due to be built on the Barry Waterfront development. These pupils will be accommodated utilising existing surplus capacity at schools (see tables 5 and 6). However, there is an anticipated modest shortfall of English medium primary school places by 2022. This demand could be met through a reassessment of capacity at Holton and Jenner Park primary schools. Over the last 5 years capacity has been removed from Holton and Jenner Park primary schools through a re-designation of room uses. The schools had previous surplus capacity that could be made available to increase the number of English medium places available. Both of these schools are within 2 miles of the Barry Waterfront development. It is anticipated that as demand for Welsh medium increases, there will be a corresponding decrease in the demand for English medium school places. There are 11 English medium primaries available within the local area (2 mile radius) and further information can be found here: http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/en/living/schools/admissions/primary/Primary-School-Admissions.aspx

What if the increased demand for Welsh medium education does not materialise?

The Council is confident that there is sufficient evidence to suggest demand for Welsh medium education will continue to grow, reflective of Welsh Government's national strategy. It is anticipated that the requirement and pro-active nature of promoting bilingual education and creating additional provision to support parents and pupils who decide to transition into Welsh medium education via an immersion centre or similar provision as outlined in the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan will further increase uptake over the long term. Any surplus capacity within schools would be managed as it would with any other school or Council asset.

How will catchment areas be affected by the proposal?

All catchment and feeder arrangement in place within the Vale of Glamorgan are subject to regular review and a widespread review is scheduled to take place during the academic year 2018/19. Any purposed changes would be reflected in a future admission arrangements consultation.

What is the intended timescale of development?

It is intended building would start on the new school site by January 2020 and be completed by September 2021. The proposal is that the new school would open by September 2021.

Will there be a nursery?

Ysgol Sant Baruc currently offers 48 part time nursery places. As a result of the expansion, this will increase to 96 part time nursery places.